Police in Egypt have broken up a big protest by minority Coptic Christians who reacted angrily over a drive-by shooting outside a church which left six of them dead.
The shooting happened in the southern Egyptian town of Nagaa Hamady after the Christmas midnight mass, which for Coptic Christians is celebrated on the night of January 6.
Police say a gunman fired on Christians as they attended the mass.
Six Coptic Christians were killed along with a Muslim policeman.
Another nine Copts were wounded.
Preliminary investigations suggest the gunman was a Muslim criminal known to police.
The shooting was apparently related to the rape of a Muslim woman by a Christian more than a month ago.
In the hours after the shooting, police clashed with more than 1,000 Christians protesting outside the church.
The protesters smashed the windows of shops owned by Muslims before police intervened, using tear gas and firing into the air to disperse the crowd.
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ABCNews